Claressa Shields biopic ‘The Fire Inside’ to be released on Christmas Day

The world will soon become much more familiar with the story of Olympic legend, boxing champion and PFL fighter Claressa Shields.

Shields has a strong claim to be the best female fighter in the history of combat sports. She certainly thinks so, and acknowledges herself as the “GWOAT” (Greatest Woman of All Time) at every possible opportunity.

Shields, who won Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016, is undefeated in her professional boxing career at 15-0. She has won the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO titles in two weight classes, with her only blemish in regulated fighting being a split decision loss in her second MMA bout in October 2021.

However, Shields’ road to numerous accolades has not been a smooth one, and a biopic titled “The Fire Inside,” set to hit theaters on December 25, will chronicle the challenges she faced on her way to a place in the history books.

Shields is played by Ryan Destiny. Shields believes she perfectly portrays the force behind her story.

“Ryan did me a lot of justice,” Shields said. “I have a very fierce attitude when it comes to boxing, but at the time in my life that Ryan was playing me, I was fierce every day. It wasn’t just in the ring — it was outside of it, dealing with my family and friends, dealing with the trauma that I went through as a kid. And I wondered, could Ryan portray that? She could and she did.

“All I cared about at the time was being the best boxer in the world. I wanted to win the Olympics. And all that time my family didn’t have food to eat – I had a difficult relationship with my mother and I had to raise my sister and brother. But when I saw Ryan running and I saw her hitting the punching bag, hitting the pads in the ring, I thought, ‘Am I looking at Ryan or am I looking at myself?’ That’s how good she was at portraying me. Even her energy when I had just won a fight and was sitting there sulking because I didn’t get all the points I wanted, she got it. When I saw Ryan in the movie, I thought, ‘This is incredible.’”

Check out the film’s official synopsis and theatrical poster below:

THE FIRE INSIDE is based on the inspiring true story of Claressa Shields, arguably the greatest female boxer of all time. Claressa, a high school senior from Flint, Michigan, overcomes all odds with the help of her tough coach Jason Crutchfield to become the first American woman to win a gold medal in boxing. But even at the height of her success, Claressa must reckon with the fact that not all dreams are created equal and the real fight has only just begun.